A survey of US hospitals and emergency rooms suggests they would not be able to cope with the surge of casualties that might follow a terror attack. The
one day survey of 34 major hospitals was carried out by a House of Representatives oversight committee that is investigating the potential impact of plans by
the Bush administration to cut Medicaid funding.
On Tuesday March 25th, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform carried out a snapshot survey of 34 level 1 trauma centers throughout the US.
Chairing the committee is representative Henry Waxman (Democrat, California), who said they were alarmed by what they found:
None of the hospitals had enough ER capacity to deal with a sudden influx of victims from a terrorist attack.
There were hardly any free intensive care beds to treat the most serious casualties.
There weren't enough regular inpatient beds to accommodate the less seriously injured victims.
"The situation in Washington, DC and Los Angeles was particularly dire," said Waxman.
In Washington DC, he said, "There was no available space in the emergency rooms at the main trauma centers." And they found "One emergency room was
operating at over 200 per cent of capacity: more than half the patients receiving emergency care in the hospital had been diverted to hallways and waiting
rooms for
treatment."
In Los Angeles, the survey found that:
"Three of the five Level I trauma centers were so overcrowded that
they went 'on diversion', which means they closed their doors to new patients," said Waxman.
"If a terrorist attack had occurred in Washington, DC or Los Angeles on March 25 when
we did our survey, the consequences could have been catastrophic," he added.
Waxman said the emergency care systems were already at breaking point with no spare capacity to deal with a sudden surge of new casualties.
He said the survey also revealed what appears to be a:
"Complete breakdown in
communications between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services."
In October last year, President Bush issued a homeland security directive that requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify any
barriers to public health and medical readiness that could be removed by changing regulations. The directive also requires that the Secretary co-ordinate
with the Secretary of Homeland Security to maintain what Waxman describes as "a robust
capacity to provide emergency care".
But Waxman said neither department was able to produce a single document when the Committee asked to see an analysis of the impact the new Medicaid
regulations might have on hospital emergency surge capacity. He called the situation "incomprehensible", saying that the government has passed regulations
that will take "millions of dollars away from hospital emergency rooms", without considering the effect that might have on the nation's readiness for a large
emergency response.
one day survey of 34 major hospitals was carried out by a House of Representatives oversight committee that is investigating the potential impact of plans by
the Bush administration to cut Medicaid funding.
On Tuesday March 25th, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform carried out a snapshot survey of 34 level 1 trauma centers throughout the US.
Chairing the committee is representative Henry Waxman (Democrat, California), who said they were alarmed by what they found:
None of the hospitals had enough ER capacity to deal with a sudden influx of victims from a terrorist attack.
There were hardly any free intensive care beds to treat the most serious casualties.
There weren't enough regular inpatient beds to accommodate the less seriously injured victims.
"The situation in Washington, DC and Los Angeles was particularly dire," said Waxman.
In Washington DC, he said, "There was no available space in the emergency rooms at the main trauma centers." And they found "One emergency room was
operating at over 200 per cent of capacity: more than half the patients receiving emergency care in the hospital had been diverted to hallways and waiting
rooms for
treatment."
In Los Angeles, the survey found that:
"Three of the five Level I trauma centers were so overcrowded that
they went 'on diversion', which means they closed their doors to new patients," said Waxman.
"If a terrorist attack had occurred in Washington, DC or Los Angeles on March 25 when
we did our survey, the consequences could have been catastrophic," he added.
Waxman said the emergency care systems were already at breaking point with no spare capacity to deal with a sudden surge of new casualties.
He said the survey also revealed what appears to be a:
"Complete breakdown in
communications between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services."
In October last year, President Bush issued a homeland security directive that requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify any
barriers to public health and medical readiness that could be removed by changing regulations. The directive also requires that the Secretary co-ordinate
with the Secretary of Homeland Security to maintain what Waxman describes as "a robust
capacity to provide emergency care".
But Waxman said neither department was able to produce a single document when the Committee asked to see an analysis of the impact the new Medicaid
regulations might have on hospital emergency surge capacity. He called the situation "incomprehensible", saying that the government has passed regulations
that will take "millions of dollars away from hospital emergency rooms", without considering the effect that might have on the nation's readiness for a large
emergency response.
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